Magic of Memories
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: A misguided sorceress in training takes out her frustration with her mentor on Amber and casts a spell that begins erasing the princess's memories. Can Sofia help her sister before all of her memories vanish for good?
1. Gabriella of Helvetica

Magic of Memories

Summary: A misguided sorceress in training takes out her frustration with her mentor on Amber and casts a spell that begins erasing the princess's memories. Can Sofia help her sister before all of her memories vanish for good?

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, but I do own the characters "Gabriella" and "Sir Finlay."

A/N: So this one is a bit different. I have an original character in here who will play a rather substantial role! And no, you're probably not going to like her. That's what I'm going for. Lol. But if you do happen to like her, more power to you. ;) Away we go! **PS—thanks to theblindwriter95 for the input. :D**

Chapter 1: Gabriella of Helvetica

"Once more from the top," a man with long silver hair instructed as he maneuvered around a girl with wavy black hair, sections of it tied into messy braids. He stepped aside briefly, adjusting his red vest over his black shirt and slacks. Practicing magic all morning had left his clothing a bit sloppy, much to his displeasure. The fact that they were outside of the castle made the matter even more pressing.

"Okay," she sighed, breathing in and raising her wand. " _Mystic powers, hear my cry. Raise the storm clouds 'cross the sky!_ " She watched the skies darken a bit before a section of earth received a mere drop of rain, ceasing only a few seconds later. She growled. "Why is this not working?!"

"Gabriella, you must be patient." The man placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're working yourself into a stupor, and it's going to get to you eventually."

Gabriella gave her mentor a hard stare. "But Finny…"

"Eh, Finlay while we're out here, my dear…" He chuckled lightly, raising one hand and gently stroking her cheek, making her sigh in resignation. His blue eyes caught her distraught brown ones before he used his free hand to squeeze her hand gently. "Once more."

"No, I can't do it! Something's wrong with this dumb wand." She twisted her hand from his grasp and shook her ebony wand, small flecks of magic falling from the end.

"It takes time. You can't expect to have everything go your way immediately." Sir Finlay smiled gently. "You're going to be a brilliant sorceress, Gabriella, but you have got to learn to control your temper…and become a bit more patient. Otherwise, I'm afraid all of our training has been for naught."

She sighed, brushing out her purple gown and adjusting the sheer sleeves before glaring back at him. "You've been training me for years, and I don't seem to be getting any better."

"But you _will_."

Gabriella reached out and grasped the red pendant that lay around his neck, a gift from King Cyrus of Helvetica—their homeland. "And when will I get one of these?"

Sir Finlay fixed his student with a meaningful stare. "When you earn it."

"Ugh." She released the gem and turned, folding her arms. "I might as well give up then, because I'm never going to be able to do this whole 'sorceress' thing right. I don't know why I bother."

The man put a hand to his chin in thought before smiling. "I have an idea… I know a sorcerer in Enchancia who's taken on a protégé of sorts—a young princess, no less—and he's taught her quite a few things in the last three years of her training. Perhaps you should take a break from me and learn a few new things from him." He watched as she turned to him. "They say learning something new yet familiar does wonders for the student, eh?"

Gabriella smirked at him. "You just want to cast me off to some other sorcerer, _Sir Finlay_." She frowned. She only used his title when she was agitated with him…which seemed to be more and more frequent. "But fine. If you think this other sorcerer is so great, then sign me up. Maybe it would do me some good to get away from here—and from you." She huffed and turned, stalking off.

Sir Finlay frowned as he folded his arms. His student, accomplice, or whatever you wanted to call her was a bit of a handful. She had her father's temper and her mother's contempt. Sure, she could be just as delightful as the royal family they both worked for, but that temper—oh, that wretched temper—was going to be her downfall one day. He was sure of it. He sighed and held up his wand, magically producing a parchment and quill. "Dear Cedric, I have a favor to ask of you…"

"Who's that from?" Sofia asked curiously the next day as she leaned over her friend's shoulder to see if she could read his letter.

Cedric frowned and moved the parchment form the princess's gaze, earning an innocent smile from her. "Do you mind?" he asked with a pointed look. "I don't go around reading your private letters, do I?"

"I was just curious, Mr. Cedric. You never get letters except from Mrs. Winifred, and that wasn't her handwriting." She grinned when gaped at her.

"You even know my mother's handwriting by now?" He rolled his eyes as Sofia laughed. "That settles it. Your father's right. We do spend too much time together." He smirked as she smiled and shrugged carelessly.

"But I like spending time with you! Personally, I think it keeps me out of trouble…at least half the time." She grinned at him again, making the sorcerer nod in agreement.

"Well, since you're so curious to know, it appears an old colleague of mine from Hexley Hall has an apprentice of his own—a girl named Gabriella—and he wants to see if I can tutor her in some of the sections she's not doing too well with."

Sofia blinked. "She'd be coming here? And studying with me?"

"Sort of… Finlay is a few years older than I am, and he says his apprentice is in her twenties." He frowned. "She's that far along and _still_ is having issues? Something must be wrong."

The princess blinked and tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Usually, if you're going to be a full-fledged sorceress and have been studying for the amount of years Finlay has indicated, then this girl should be pretty well settled by now. Yet he refers to her as a 'sorceress in training.' He says she's not ready." He shrugged. "I guess we'll see what the issue really is."

"So why is he sending her to you, Mr. Cedric?"

Cedric blinked and glanced at the girl with a shrug. "I honestly have no idea. Greylock doesn't have an apprentice and probably would have been better, but…he did mention you in the letter."

She beamed. "Really? What did he say?"

"Said he'd heard good things about you and your skills." He chuckled and smiled at her proudly. "I guess all the practicing paid off."

Sofia grinned and nudged him. "Not to mention your awesome teaching, Mr. Cedric!" She smiled. "I say bring her here. We can help her!"

"Oh, _we_ can, hmm?" He smiled knowingly as she nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! I'd be glad to help you with…eh, what's her name again?"

Cedric looked at the letter. "Gabriella."

"Oh, she even _sounds_ like a sorceress." She smiled cutely when her friend gave her a curious look.

"And exactly how do you determine what a sorceress's name 'sounds' like?"

"I don't know… Maybe I'm just gifted." She smiled when Cedric used his wand to lightly tap her on the head.

"Whatever you say. Okay, get your training wand while I respond to Finlay to let him know that this Gabriella can train with us for a day." He rubbed his forehead. "I've never trained an older student before…"

Sofia giggled and grabbed her wand from the hollowed out book on his bookshelf. "You'll be fine, Mr. Cedric. That's why you've got me!"

Cedric nodded with an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Sofia."

The next day, since it was such a nice day outside, Cedric decided that instead of having the new trainee cooped up in his workshop (besides the fact that he wasn't entirely sure of her abilities, and the fact that his colleague still referred to her as a 'novice' worried him), it would be better to train outside. Besides that fact, Sofia backed him up on his decision. She liked venturing outside every now and then to get some fresh sunlight.

"I'm kind of nervous," Sofia admitted to her siblings as they stood with Cedric near the steps of the castle.

Amber gave her sister a calming smile. "Don't be, Sofia! She's just another girl training to be a sorceress. I mean, from what you and Cedric tell us, it sounds like you may be more advanced than _she_ is."

Cedric laughed uncertainly. "While that may be, Princess Amber, let's not say such things around this Gabriella girl, all right?"

The blonde shrugged and folded her arms. "Whatever you say, Cedric."

"Why are you two here anyway?" Sofia asked curiously as she turned fully to the twins.

James smiled cutely. "We never get to meet someone who's _not_ royalty anymore, and the fact that she's going to be training with Cedric really got us curious!"

Cedric raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm just a sideshow to you, aren't I, Prince James?"

The boy laughed. "No, Cedric! You'll do great. Just show her the monkey trick."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. Miss Elodie _loved_ that, didn't she?"

The sorcerer waved his wand carelessly. "That woman is just a stick in the mud sometimes. No real sense of magic appreciation."

Sofia smiled and shook her head before casting her eyes forward as the guards approached. She squealed lightly. "I think that's her!"

The three royals and Cedric watched as a few guards approached with a dark-haired girl whose eyes seemed to bore straight through them (making even Sofia shiver a little) and a taller man with long silver hair hanging loosely about his shoulders. The man seemed to have a kinder disposition, so they weren't unnerved by him at all.

"Cedric," Sir Finlay acknowledged as he walked up to the younger sorcerer and extended his hand, shaking it kindly. "A pleasure to see you again."

Amber swooned lightly and giggled. "His voice is so dreamy," she whispered to her siblings with a pleased smile. She blinked when Gabriella shot her a pointed look.

Sofia grinned at her sister, unaware of the sorceress in training's glare. "He does have a nice voice, but maybe we should get to know _him_ , Amber." She laughed.

James just rolled his eyes. "Girls."

Cedric nodded to the older man. "Sir Finlay, I'd like to introduce you to Princess Sofia, my apprentice." He lowered one hand to the girl's shoulder as he drew attention to the girl.

Sofia smiled and curtsied. "Hi, Sir Finlay. You can just call me Sofia. Everyone does."

He chuckled and bowed to her lightly. "A pleasure, Princess Sofia. And I would, but it's my standard of formalities, you understand. I suppose I'm a bit of a stickler for 'by the book' in some cases."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "I'll say."

Sofia blinked before looking up at Cedric worriedly. Seeing his shrug, she sighed. "Um, well, these are my brother and sister: James and Amber."

"Hi," the twins said at the same time.

Sir Finlay nodded, bowed, and smiled at them. "Pleased to meet all of the royal children of Enchancia. I've heard a great deal about each of you. And this is my…my own apprentice, Gabriella of Helvetica. We've been training together for quite a number of years now."

Cedric folded his arms. "Which leads me to my question: What exactly would you like me to do, Finlay? I mean, you're well versed in sorcery, even more so than I am, considering your years of work. How can I assist your apprentice where you can't?"

Gabriella smirked at him. "That's what I'm hoping to find out, uh—what was your name again?"

"Cedric."

"Hmm. Cedric. Okay, then, Cedric, do your worst."

Sir Finlay laid a hand on her shoulder. "You'll do well with him, Gabriella. Keep an open mind and heart." He then lowered his lips to her ear. "And control your temper." She huffed as he turned and walked back down the steps before smiling up at the group. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Cedric, thank you so much. Gabriella, I'll be back for you at the end of the day. Learn well, _mon cher_." He waved and disappeared in a puff.

Amber giggled. "And he speaks _French_? Ooh, la, la!" She smiled, enchanted.

Gabriella growled under her breath at the oldest Enchancian princess.

James, noticing this, laughed uneasily and took her hand, leading her away from the woman. "Amber, really, stop saying things like that," he told her quietly. "I think you're making Gabriella mad."

She simply laughed and shrugged. "I'm just playing around, James. She can't be jealous or anything. Right?"

Sofia smiled up at Gabriella, trying to cut through the tension. "So, Miss Gabriella, what would you like to do?"

The dark-haired girl looked down at the younger princess and then glanced toward Cedric. "Well, Finny was going to teach me a memory spell and never did. Maybe we can start there?"

Cedric blinked, surprised by his colleague's nickname from the sorceress in training, and then just chuckled with a shrug. "I don't see why not. We must be careful, though. One wrong slip of words, and memories could start vanishing left and right. And we wouldn't want that to happen." He glanced at Sofia and nodded up to his workshop, a hint she took so she could run and get the spell book.

Gabriella smirked and looked back toward Amber, who was obliviously laughing and talking with her brother. "No…we wouldn't want _that_."

To be continued

A/N: Ooh, I'm having fun with this. :D But I don't want it to get too long, so I'm going to split this story into chapters. It won't be a very long story like "Timey Wimey" or "Hostage" or anything. Simultaneously, I'm working on a story called "Starry Eyes," and guess what? Hildy is the star of the show. :D And _that_ story is going to be pretty entertaining, along the lines of "Mood Swings" I'd say. Haha. Well, that's the first chapter! The second chapter will be out soon—hopefully this weekend. I'll see what I can do! :)

~AquaTurquoise


	2. Memoria Dispareo

Magic of Memories

Summary: A misguided sorceress in training takes out her frustration with her mentor on Amber and casts a spell that begins erasing the princess's memories. Can Sofia help her sister before all of her memories vanish for good?

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, but I do own the characters "Gabriella" and "Sir Finlay."

A/N: So huge thanks to Luiz4200 for reminding me that "Sir Finnegan" is actually…already a character in the show. Lol. It completely slipped my mind. Therefore his name is now "Finlay," which is still a cool name to me. And like LongLiveNiNoKuni pointed out, best to be on the safe side so Disney won't come knocking on my door. Haha! Anyway, this chapter will be the next to last actually… Yep. Only three chapters (though I'd originally planned for two), but I plan on making them good. So settle in and enjoy!

Chapter 2: _Memoria Dispareo_

"So what are your favorite spells to do?" Sofia asked kindly as Gabriella sat next to her on the steps while Cedric flipped through his spell book, attempting to find the section on memories.

"Huh?" Gabriella tore her eyes away from the twins—namely Amber, who was leading James around and pointing out various areas where things would go when their next party came around. "Oh, uh… Memory spells, like I said…" She couldn't help the little smirk that formed on her face as her dark brown eyes focused on the blonde girl once more. "It fascinates me how many memories we really have… Trillions possibly, maybe more." She twirled her wand absentmindedly as Sofia observed her. "And if a few should vanish, well, what would we care? We just make new ones anyway, right?"

"Um…sure, Miss Gabriella." The auburn-haired girl attempted to get her mentor's attention with her eyes, but he was far too absorbed in his search. "I… Well, I personally think memories are probably one of the best parts of us." She smiled when the older girl glanced back at her with a dull stare. "I mean, if we can't actually do something at the time, but we've done it before, we can always remember it for the good time it was."

"Mm-hmm, and all those bad memories a lot of us have?" She stood and leaned against the railing as she glared down at the girl contemplatively. "Sometimes memories aren't all they're cracked up to be, kiddo."

"Hmm." That was a sad way of looking at things. She then lit up as a thought came to her. "But you must have good memories with Sir Finlay, right?"

Gabriella paused in her actions and fixated Sofia with a dangerous stare. "Sir Finlay is a fool sometimes." She huffed as Sofia gasped quietly, not used to such negative comments about a mentor/teacher in that manner. Usually she offered them a high level of respect, so for this sorceress in training not to… "Although he can be quite charming when he wants to be…"

Sofia blinked at the sudden change in demeanor. The other girl's face looked rather pleasant for once, a somewhat dreamy smile ghosting her lips. But before she could mention it, it was gone.

"Then again, most people are like that, aren't they? They tell you what they want you to hear, make you believe it, and then just…lead to disappointment down the road." She folded her arms, her head turned to glance at Amber again. "I imagine you're aware of that, Princess Sofia. Family, friends, classmates…they're all like that at some point."

Sofia, not liking this turn of talk, looked back toward Cedric again, who finally blinked and looked down at her. She nodded her head discretely toward Gabriella, who seemed to be staring at Amber again with a keen eye.

"Oh, right!" Cedric finally announced a bit more loudly than he'd meant to. He chuckled nervously as both girls came to attention. "Sorry, that was loud. Anyway, I found the section on memories."

Gabriella finally lit up as she pushed off from the railing. "Great! Now, Finny was teaching me about sustaining and deleting memories. Actually, he was too afraid to teach me the deletion part. Something about 'irreversible damage' or some nonsense."

Cedric fixated her with a meaningful stare. "It's actually quite the opposite, Miss Gabriella. It's in fact not 'nonsense.' If you were to use a spell inappropriately and erase memories, it's extremely hard to get them back. Counter spells are fine and all that, but I'm afraid it would take more than that to return them."

"Hmm, whatever you say, Cedric."

"Um, Amber," James interrupted his twin quickly, stepping in front of her to get her attention.

She blinked, wondering about his sudden movements. "What's wrong, James?"

"Have you noticed the looks you're getting from Gabriella?"

Amber just laughed, waving him off as she walked past him. "It's fine, James. I'm sure it's nothing." She turned, spreading her arms wide as she told him, "And right here, we'll put a water slide! Oh, this is going to be thrilling!"

James rolled his eyes. "You sure it's a good idea to have a water slide at a _formal_ party?"

"Oh, James, don't be so simplistic. We won't be the ones water sliding."

He blinked. 'We won't?"

"Of course not! The acrobatic swans will!" She giggled and continued on, her brother shaking his head and following her.

"So, are we going to do this?" Gabriella asked somewhat excitedly as she held her wand up, creating a stance of awareness.

Sofia blinked, holding onto her own wand uncertainly, and glanced at Cedric.

He nodded. "Very well. Let's try a memory recall spell. Here's how it works: I want you both to close your eyes."

Sofia did so happily, but Gabriella rolled her eyes before complying.

"Now, delve deeply into your minds to your…mm…second birthdays."

Gabriella scoffed. "Like we'd remember what our second birthdays were like…"

Sofia giggled with her eyes still closed. "I think that's the point, Miss Gabriella."

Cedric pointed his wand at the girls, chanting a spell and watching it swirl around them.

*Sofia's Memories*

 _Sofia's Second Birthday_

" _Daddy!" Sofia giggled as she held her hands up to Birk, smiling when he leaned down and picked her up from her pallet on the floor._

" _Happy birthday, little Sofia," he cooed, making her smile and squeal excitedly. "I have a present for you."_

 _Miranda smiled as she watched her husband pull a doll from behind his back, soft and plush so she wouldn't hurt herself. "Aw, Birk…"_

 _Sofia's eyes lit up as she grasped the doll and hugged it. "Doll! Doll!" She giggled and cast those big blue eyes up at her father, her gaze full of appreciation. "Daddy…"_

 _He smiled. "You're welcome, little one."_

*Currently*

"Oh, wow," Sofia breathed with a smile as she opened her eyes. "That was sweet… I never knew that happened."

"You know what's interesting?" her mentor asked, garnering a blink from Sofia. "I could see it too."

She grinned. "So you saw me as a little girl?"

"Mm-hmm." He turned his attention to Gabriella, who was still under the spell. "Let's see Miss Gabriella's memories, hmm?"

*Gabriella's Memories*

 _Gabriella's Second Birthday_

" _Gabby," a woman said gently as she picked her daughter up from her bed. "Happy birthday, mi hija."_

" _Alana," a man greeted as he walked into the room and kissed his wife on the cheek. He then smiled down at his dark-haired daughter, who simply stared at him pensively. "Gabriella, my little two year old now. You're getting to be a big girl now."_

" _Anthony, she always looks so serious," Alana sighed as she looked up at her husband. "I'm afraid she'll never find some form of happiness."_

 _Anthony smiled at the dark-haired woman before him. "Don't worry, my love. She'll find something that will make her happy—or someone, no?"_

 _Alana giggled as he nudged her and kissed her forehead. "I guess so…but let's not go setting our daughter up right now. Let's first focus on getting her some cake, mm?"_

" _Oh, yes!" He glanced down at Gabriella. "You want some cake, ma fille?"_

 _She giggled finally, eyes lighting up at the mention of a word she recognized and appreciated very much. "Cake!"_

" _That's my girl." He beamed at her, his own dark eyes lighting on hers._

*Currently*

Gabriella growled and shook her head as her memories faded. She glared at the other sorcerer. "Don't… Don't dig into my memories like that again."

Cedric shrugged. "I thought it was a rather pleasant memory. Your parents seemed kind at least."

Her eyes widened. "You could _see_ that?"

Sofia moved behind Cedric a little bit. "It was a really nice memory, Miss Gabriella… I don't see what's so bad about it."

Calming down, the sorceress in training looked at them evenly. "Hmm. Cedric, may I see your book for a moment?"

He frowned curiously. "Why, may I ask?"

"I want to use that spell on Finny later." She smirked. "There's something about his sixth birthday that he's too embarrassed to tell me." She finally smiled pleasantly, garnering a laugh from Cedric.

"I see… Well, for a moment." He handed over the book, much to Gabriella's delight.

Amber and James walked over, oblivious to what had been going on. They were now chatting excitedly about their upcoming party.

James paused when he saw Gabriella holding Cedric's spell book and her eyes shifting to him momentarily. He felt like running. That look was just…scary.

Amber grinned happily. "I've got the entire party planned out! And Sofia, maybe we should invite _Sir Finlay_ to the party, huh? He seems like he'd add a bit of class to the occasion. He's just so kind and courteous."

Gabriella growled under her breath as she glared at the girl.

Sofia giggled. "If you want, Amber. It's your party. I'm sure he'd enjoy it. Right, Miss Gabriella?" She glanced over only to see the girl's hand raised with her wand clasped tightly. "Miss Gabriella?"

" _Memoria…_ "

Cedric looked toward her, his eyes widening. "Miss Gabriella!"

The dark-haired woman cast her wand toward Amber, the magic surrounding her. " _Dispareo!_ "

"No!" Sofia watched helplessly as the book fell from Gabriella's hand to the ground.

James gasped as Amber closed her eyes, oblivious to what was going on, before opening them and blinking at her surroundings. "A-Amber?"

She turned to her brother. "Oh, hello." She smiled pleasantly. "Who are you?"

To be continued…


	3. Restoration

Magic of Memories

Summary: A misguided sorceress in training takes out her frustration with her mentor on Amber and casts a spell that begins erasing the princess's memories. Can Sofia help her sister before all of her memories vanish for good?

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, but I do own the characters "Gabriella" and "Sir Finlay."

A/N: Here's the last chapter. :) How will Amber fair with the memory deletion? And how's Gabriella going to redeem herself after this? Hmm… Let's see!

Chapter 3: Restoration

" _Who are you?"_

James, Sofia, and Cedric all blinked in surprise at the oblivious blonde girl's question. They exchanged worried glances before turning their gazes back to the princess, who stared at them without a care in the world.

"A-Amber?" Sofia asked worriedly as she walked up to her sister, taking one of her hands. "Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do, Sofia," she giggled with a bright smile. She then leaned in and nudged her. "But who's that blonde boy exactly? He looks a little bit like me."

James gasped. "That's because I'm your _twin_ , Amber! It's me—James!"

Cedric frowned. "Why does she remember Sofia but not you?" He then caught sight of Gabriella attempting to leave the scene, and he lifted his wand. "I don't think so." With one flick of his wrist, a bubble formed around the sorceress-in-training, ceasing her escape.

"Hey!" The brunette scowled and balled her hands into fists, angrily pounding at the soft yet seemingly indestructible barrier. "Let me go!"

" _Not_ until you fix this spell you've put on Princess Amber."

Gabriella huffed defiantly, folding her arms and glaring at the sorcerer. "Do it yourself if you're so concerned."

Amber whimpered and held a hand to her head. She blinked in concern, looking around. "M-Mom? Sofia, where's my mom?" She looked around, her amber eyes widening. "Sh-She isn't well! I… I don't want to l-lose her." She felt arms wrap around her, Sofia's gentle stance toward the girl's reaction, and she began crying.

James bit back an emotional gulp. Oh, he hoped this would be resolved soon. If Amber had to relive their mother's death over again, he'd never forgive Gabriella.

"It's okay, Amber," Sofia whispered, feeling a bit helpless as she gazed over at James. She saw his look of concern and sighed. "It'll be all right."

Cedric glared at the woman in the bubble and gestured toward the prince and princesses. "Now see what you've done? You've made her upset! What did she do to you anyway that you had to attack her?"

"Oh, don't write her off as an innocent little princess." Gabriella glared daggers at the crying blonde. "I saw the way she looked at Finny, and I heard the undertone of her voice when she was talking about him."

The Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia had to pause for a minute, the look of disbelief evident on his face. "Hold on one minute here… You believe that Princess Amber… _fancies_ …Sir Finlay?"

"Well, of course! Who wouldn't?!" She folded her arms.

With that, Cedric began laughing.

Gabriella turned her glare to him this time. "Shut up! It's not funny!"

"Oh, Merlin… You're _serious_!" He calmed, rolling his eyes. "Dear girl, you're really bothered to let someone else's actions blind you in such a way. This jealousy of yours has got to stop."

"I'm not jealous!" she argued, irked at his aloof manner. "I'm looking out for Finny's best interests!"

"You mean _your_ best interests. Princess Amber did nothing to you, nor has she any interest in your…eh, Sir Finlay. She's far too young to be concerned with things like that in any case, and while she has her quirks and curious eccentricities, I'm quite certain she'd never set her sights on someone who is obviously already committed to someone else."

James, who was distraught by the girls' somewhat emotional embrace, walked over to them and took Sofia's arm. He leaned in and whispered something to her, smiling when she nodded in agreement and released Amber.

"S-Sofia, what…?" Amber looked back and forth between her siblings in confusion before eyeing James curiously. "…What's going on?"

James took his sister's hands and squeezed them gently. "I'm your twin, you're my twin," he sang softly, watching the girl tilt her head slightly. A bit discouraged by her motion but choosing instead to carry on, he smiled lightly. "We stick together through thick and thin." He released one of her hands to reach up and wipe her tears away, earning a confused but appreciative sigh from her. "No matter what I do, I'm always stuck with you."

Amber couldn't help giggling at the line, however unfamiliar it was. A smile graced her face as he continued.

"And if trouble comes our way, I know my _twin_ will save the day…"

Amber's eyes slowly focused a bit. "J-James?"

"Wherever you may be, you're always stuck with me." He grinned as the girl before him stared him down uncertainly. "Amber…?"

She sighed, shaking her head solemnly. "I'm sorry… It's a nice song, but I just don't remember…"

James, disheartened, released her hands and sighed sadly.

Cedric frowned, pointing toward them. "You see? See what you've caused, Miss Gabriella? Was _that_ worth your bitterness and jealousy?"

Gabriella's dark eyes narrowed as she sighed. "N-No… I suppose not." She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Fine. I'll undo the spell."

He nodded, popping the bubble and eyeing her as she held up her wand. "And…"

"And what?" she asked, her attitude souring a bit as she looked at Cedric with disdain. "I'll undo the spell, and Finny will come for me, and that's it."

"And you'll apologize to the princess and her siblings."

"I don't apologize to anyone," she laughed, waving her wand carelessly.

"Is that so?" He glanced toward Sofia. "Sofia, what was that spell I taught you the other day that turned pretty things hideous?"

Sofia blinked as she walked over to him, missing the look of horror on the other girl's face. "The ' _turpo_ ' spell?"

Cedric smirked as she settled next to him. He glanced back at a pale Gabriella. "Yes, that's the one!" he responded a little too happily.

"Fine, fine, I'll do it! No need to be so rash with your judgment, Cedric." She picked up Cedric's fallen book, read over the words, and chanted the reverse spell to undo the hold on Amber.

It took a few moments, but Amber finally came around. When her eyes focused, she noticed that James looked a little down and Sofia seemed concerned. She smiled gently. "Why the long face, brother?"

James looked up, his eyes wide. "Amber? Do you know who I am?"

She laughed. "James, what kind of silly question is that?" She squeaked in surprise as he lunged forward and hugged her happily. "O-Okay, okay!" She returned his hug before gently pushing him back. "It's good to see you too…I guess. But be careful so you don't wrinkle my dress." She brushed out her dress and giggled.

Sofia grinned toward her brother. "Same old Amber."

While the siblings returned to their previous activities, Cedric pulled Gabriella aside to talk to her privately.

"You can't just go around doing things like that, you know." He frowned when she fixed him with a pointed stare. "I'm serious. Think of the trouble you could get into—especially if King Roland were to ever find out what you did to his daughter, regardless of the fact that you fixed it. It's a dangerous thing, jealousy. It would make you do some rather brash and reckless things."

The dark-haired girl sighed. "I'm _not_ jealous."

"Right. And I'm not a sorcerer." He rolled his eyes at her smirk. "Don't get me started. Now look, you've got a rather nasty temper, Miss Gabriella. It _will_ get you into trouble."

"Ugh, you're starting to sound like Finlay. I get it! My attitude is pretty lousy. I guess that's what happens when everyone who ever meant something to you just abandons you for no reason." She shook her head and held up a hand as she saw that Cedric seemed to be about to ask her about her statement. "I won't get into that. But it's how I deal with things, okay?"

"Whatever it is that happened in your life, I'm sorry for that. But there's no reason to take it out on others." He twirled his wand slowly. "Believe me. I've been where you are. It's no way to live."

She actually smiled at the understanding and honesty behind his statement. "Hmm. Princess Sofia is lucky…to have you as a mentor."

Cedric chuckled, embarrassed by the genuine compliment. "Thank you, Miss Gabriella. But really…" He glanced to Sofia, who was happily playing with her siblings. "I think I'm the lucky one most of the time." He then looked back toward his temporary student. "Shall we resume lessons?"

"Bring it on." She held up her wand, a smirk etched into her face.

Not much later, Finlay arrived again only to see his fellow sorcerer simply talking with both Sofia and Gabriella. He smiled and walked over to his apprentice. "Gabriella."

The sorceress-in-training smiled brightly as she hurried over, hugging him. "Finny!" She giggled energetically as she looked up at his surprised expression.

"What's got you in such a good mood then?"

"You were right. Cedric is a good teacher. And…I promise I'm going to work harder and control my temper."

He looked at her pointedly. "You did it again, didn't you? You put a spell on someone."

"Just for like five minutes."

"Gabby!"

Sofia and Amber both giggled at the nickname the older sorcerer had for his student, while James rolled his eyes at the sentimental scene.

"It was a mistake—well, actually, I meant to do it, but I fixed it! Actually, Cedric made me fix it and said that—mm!" She blinked in surprise when Finlay leaned forward, kissing her gently.

"Aw!" Amber cooed as she watched them. "They're in love! How cute! I _never_ would have guessed!"

Cedric slowly turned his attention to the blonde girl and lifted an eyebrow at her. "…Seriously?"

"Yeah, Amber," James laughed. "It was kind of obvious…"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've been out of it today."

Sofia smiled and nodded. "That's one way of putting it…"

Finlay smiled at the girl before him. "Well, that's settled. Cedric." He released Gabriella and walked forward, holding out his hand to his colleague and nodding as Cedric shook his hand. "I thank you for helping Gabriella out. I understand she can be quite a challenge."

Gabriella growled. "Finny!"

He smiled and looked back at her. "But she's worth it." He chuckled when she blushed.

"So does this mean you two are in love?" Amber asked bluntly.

Finlay laughed at the princess's question. "I suppose you could say that. Thank you all for your hospitality, and know how much I truly appreciate everything." He looked back toward Gabriella. "As for your punishment…"

She blinked. "You'd punish _me_?"

"Potion bottle cleaning for a week." He shrugged as she gaped at him. "Maybe next time you'll think before you act."

"Whatever, Finlay." She huffed before smiling gently when he took her hand.

As the partners left, Sofia tugged on Cedric's robe to get his attention.

"Mr. Cedric, why is that spell in your spell book?"

He paused before shrugging. "I suppose…because sometimes certain things need to be forgotten in order to be able to cope with reality."

Processing his words, she blinked and eyed him worriedly. "You'd…never forget _me_ , right?"

Cedric blinked at her question before smiling and taking her hand. "I could never forget you, Sofia. I promise."

The end

A/N: Aww… I wasn't anticipating writing such a sappy ending, but I saw a sappy movie before this and it rubbed off on me, I think. Lol. Anyway, school is back in full swing now, so I'll be MIA for a while. When I get some free time, I'll be working on my next story, but it may take a while to arrive. Sorry for that. If you've gone back to school, do well! Study hard! But remember to take breaks. ;) Those of you who work, I know that life. Take time out for yourself if you can. And if you're one of the few still on summer vacation, getting to sleep till noon every day—I envy you! :p Haha. Hope you enjoyed! Till next time! ~AquaTurquoise


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